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Maximillion VonMitternacht (Earth-0003)
"When people talk, I believe they're telling me what they feel they need to say, not always what I need or want to hear. Anyone can lie, anyone can betray anyone. That said, don't become so immersed in the politics and wordplay that you forget how to love, how to feel, how to learn and experience the great things life has to offer." ―Maximillion Overview Maximillion is an Exalted-Dhampir hybrid who held regency over the realm, holding it in wait for the rightful heir of the Royal Family during the Succession War. He was rewarded for his service when the rightful heir assumed the throne, and granted High Lord status over the newly established House VonMitternacht, as well as a mansion and some land a dozen or so kilometers from the Capital City. He spends his time as one part Information Broker, one part Adventurer. The Early Years Maximillion was born to Alexandreu Tepes and Relaria Tepes of House Tepes. He boasts the heritage of both his mother and father. Childhood Maximillion received the best education and combat training by some of the world's most renowned scholars, fighters and tradesmen, like his brothers Mordred, Malifeus and Simon. Rather than being the model son, he happened to be a fanciful and abstract-minded youth, following his whims rather than the direction provided to him by his parents and others invested in his future. This repeatedly resulted in backlash from his family and even in the realm beyond; somehow, despite this, he stood by his progressive and idealistic views even long into adulthood. Adolescence and Adulthood Maximillion's fanciful nature would later mature into a rebellious streak, and a desire to learn not what others were teaching him, but what they weren't teaching him. He became obsessed with hidden knowledge, and would often run away from Mount Vulgore, disguising himself and traveling to faraway lands to learn of their customs, rites, rituals, traditions and whatever kinds of combat techniques and lore he could glean from their cultures. Though somewhat awkward in his dealings with others, he was eloquent, observant and intelligent, and his earnest nature and transparent honesty compelled people to listen and hear him out when he spoke. More than once, proud warriors and tacticians would share some of their knowledge with him not because he was some teenager demanding answers to things over his head, but because it was impossible to not notice that he was completely honest in his dealings with others, while having a healthy sense of when to keep a secret. It also helped that he always had a good amount of coin on hand, and he didn't want to know the what in the knowledge these men and women had, but rather the how - such as the deductive processes - used to formulate good plans, tactics and methods of successfully achieving one's ends. His mentors soon found that they were dealing with a youth who had a mind like an infinite sponge, being able to quickly learn, memorize and apply information he'd only recently been told or instructed upon. He was given many offers in the ways of an education and training, all but a few he politely declined, desiring to search the expanse of the world and expand the breadth of his knowledge, rather than mastering the concepts of one or two limited styles. Unfortunately, since those 'offers' were tied to political strings House Tepes had at their disposal. Maximillion never grew out of his desire to learn all there was to know about...well, everything. As seemingly impossible as the task seemed to be, he continued to learn and retain knowledge at a rate considered otherworldly by even the most prestigious educators. As his Bloodline Ability of Soul Mimicry came into play, Maximillion would use his limited ability to copy the powers and abilities of others to try his hand at their techniques, maneuvers and combat styles. Earning such nicknames as "The Mimic", Maximillion would incorporate others' combat styles into his repertoir in order to try and come as close as he could to understanding how and why others operated the way they do, and find ways in which one's combat style could reflect their personality, creeds and nature Story Arcs Civil Unrest During one of Maximillion's discreet disappearances from the realm, Shi'Kharia came under attack by a neighboring Kingdom, resulting in a loss of 15% of the Inner City's constructs, residential districts, and a death toll of 572 of the city's residents. Powers & Abilities Maximillion is a Psionic, possessing such abilities as ESP, (Extrasensory Perception), Telepathy, Telekinesis, the ability to sense the auras of others (if not always able to determine what they mean), and the ability to sense - and mentally communicate with - various entities across great distances. Maximillion is also sensitive to the emotions of others, often feeling them as intensely as if they were his own emotions, though he generally struggles to understand the why ''behind the emotions he picks up on, offering little restitution for his social difficulties. Maximillion uses his empathetic abilities in his counseling and teaching of others (when/where applicable) in order to 'feel out' where a person is emotionally/mentally, and he holds himself to a ''very strict set of standards of ethics with regards to how he uses these abilities. Maximillion possesses the ability to derive sustenance and nourishment from the blood and energy of others, and can absorb this either through ingesting the target's blood, or simply 'shaving off' the residual energy given off by others; the latter, though a significantly slower and less effective method, is a method preferred in order to avoid causing harm to others, or having to isolate a single target with this ability, which certainly would harm them.